The Slow Day
by LeisaTheGreat
Summary: When a daycare teacher suddenly collapses during class, the paramedics are dispatched to help out. Johnny is left with a room full of children while Roy accompanies the ill teacher to Rampart in a dangerous fog. Hurt Johnny, Hurt Roy. My pathetic attempt at humor... Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter One**_

* * *

A wall of dreary, white fog is all that can be seen from the tall windows of Station 51. And the monotonous patter of rain on the glass is about the only sound that can be heard, other than Roy's low grumbles of frustration as he fidgets with the knobs and antenna of the television, trying to get a clear picture through the haze of weather-induced static.

Johnny scowls in irritation as the lights overhead flicker, distracting him from the newspaper article he's trying to read. "You'd think with all this bad weather, we'd get at least one call..."

"You would think that, yeah..." Chet agrees dully from his seat at the dining table, Marco and Stoker grunting their agreement.

"It _is_ amazing. There's almost no visibility out there," Roy says, finally abandoning his struggle to come up beside his partner at the window. Rubbing the condensation away does nothing to reveal anything of the world beyond them. If he didn't know better, he would swear they'd entered the Twilight Zone.

"I mean, I'm not asking for a car accident...but how has nothing happened today?" Johnny demands, tossing his newspaper onto the table. "It's the morning commute and I don't even hear any traffic out there."

"Maybe it's aliens." Chet deadpans, earning the annoyed glares of his coworkers. Even Henry sighs audibly from his perminant residence on the couch. Admittedly, that pulls a smirk from Johnny, who's just opening his mouth for a backhanded retort when he's interrupted by dispatch tones.

Every man in the station jumps to their feet, but all except for two sit back down with a disgruntled huff when only the paramedics are requested.

 _Squad 51, woman down, 8825 Sherman Street, cross street Main, time out 1215._

As Roy slides into the drivers seat, Johnny quickly locates the address on the map before joining him in the squad. The sirens begin to wail as they pull out onto the misty highway, Roy leaning forward in his seat and squinting through the fog.

"Hang a left on Chestnut," Johnny advises, wiping at the condensation with his sleeve.

"Yeah."

* * *

Ten minutes later, Squad 51 pulls into the short driveway of Sherman Street Daycare - a squat, one-story building sitting in solitude behind a tall, white fence. There's no one outside and the front door is closed.

Biophone and drugbox in hand, the paramedics jog up the sidewalk to the door, which cracks open before they even get a chance to knock. They're greeted by a girl no older than nine years old with tear stricken blue eyes.

"Are you the firemen?" She asks between nervous hiccups.

"That's right," Roy confirms, offering a small smile. "Can we come in?"

The little girl nods and backs away from the door, letting it hang open so they can enter. It doesn't take long for the partners to spot the problem. A young woman lays motionless on the purple-carpeted floor, a small crowd of sniffling children surrounding her.

"Uh, who called 911?" Roy asks the girl who let them in. Meanwhile, Johnny is calmly carrolling the children away from the unconscious woman.

"I did," she replies shakily.

"And, uh, what's your name?"

"Marcy."

Roy smiles and tells her she did the right thing by calling them. "Are there any other adults here with you?"

"No."

"Is this woman your teacher?"

"Yes..."

Roy looks over his shoulder at the sound of Johnny snapping open the biophone and drugbox. There's a stethoscope already hanging around his neck. "Well, Marcy, can you tell me what happened?" He asks as soothingly as possible.

"Miss Lizbeth was reading us a story but then she fell over and hit her head on the floor...is she dead...?"

"No, no, sweetheart, she's not dead," Roy assures her, seeing the fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. And Marcy's not the only one. All of the children are crying, some more softly than others... "She's just probably not feeling well."

"Can you help her...?"

"We're going to do our best."

"Roy." At the sound of his partner's voice, Roy joins Johnny by the woman's side, picking up the biophone as Johnny prepares to take the woman's blood pressure. "Pulse 65, respirations 15..."

"Rampart, this is Squad 51."

 _"Go ahead, 51."_ Dixie replies from the other end.

"Rampart, I've got a victim here. Female, approximately twenty-five years old. She's unconscious and unresponsive but breathing on her own. No visible injuries. Pulse is 65, respirations 15. Standby for BP."

 _"Standing by."_ Dr. Brackett says, his voice replacing Dixie's.

"BP 120/80." Johnny tells him.

Roy repeats it to Rampart and there's a short pause on Brackett's end. It's no mystery why. Her vitals are perfect. So why is she unconscious...?

 _"51, is there someone at your location who can tell you what happened?"_

"Uh, negative, Rampart. The victim is a daycare teacher, the only other people are young children. According to one of them, the victim was reading and suddenly fell over."

 _"10-4, 51. Establish an IV D5W-TKO and transport."_

"10-4, Rampart. IV D5W-TKO." Almost exactly then, they hear the distant sirens of the ambulance closing in.

Johnny presses the needle into the teacher's arm as Roy sets up the drip. Some of the children yelp at the sight of the IV. One screams.

As soon as the IV has been established, Roy runs out to hold the door for the gurney, which is wheeled in, loaded up, and taken back out. Instictively, Johnny moves to follow his partner out to the ambulance, only to be stopped a raised eyebrow from Roy.

"What?" he asks.

"Someone's gotta stay here with the kids until their parents show up."

"Then you stay!" Johnny insists, glancing nervously back at the crowd of teary eyes and sniffles.

"Why me?"

"Well...because! You've got kids of your own! You're better with them than I am." Roy has to admit, it's a compelling argument. And yet...

"Come on, Johnny, you're a big boy. You'll do fine." With a playful smack on the arm, Roy smiles innocently and walks out, riding off to Rampart in the back of the ambulance.

* * *

Sirens keening, the ambulance turns the corner on Main, giving them a straight shot to Rampart General. From the front seat, DeSoto hears the attendants call in their ten minute ETA. But in the back of the vehicle, Roy presses two fingers to the daycare teacher's carotid, taking a careful pulse.

Holding steady... Same with respirations and BP.

Roy sits down and stares thoughtfully at the woman's face. She shows no signs of distress, coloration is good, but no reaction to stimulus. She's definitely comatose.

Just to be safe, the paramedic searches her again for injuries, paying especially close attention to the head and neck. But comes up empty. As far as he can tell, there's nothing wrong with her...

Hopefully Brackett or Early will have more luck.

Roy is just about to reconnect with Rampart when the ambulance suddenly swerves, tires squealing. The driver shouts something that Roy doesn't quite catch right before they hit the curb and tip onto their side with a deafening crash.

* * *

"Uh, h-hello? Is this Mrs. Howard? Uh, hi, yeah. I'm Fireman John Gage over here at Sherman Street Daycare-no...no, there was no fire...yeah, your son's fine...I just need-hello? Mrs. Howard? Hello?" With an loud sigh, Johnny slams the phone down on the receiver and swears quietly under his breath. That was the last parent he could try, the only one actually home. All of the others he's assuming are at work or out somewhere away from the phone.

Peeking out through the office window, he sees the fifteen young children sitting glumly on the carpeted floor. The oldest one-the girl who called 911-is trying to read to them from a storybook but most of the kids aren't listening. Some are still crying.

Damn that Roy.

Now he's stuck here with fifteen sobbing kids with no idea what to do. From the schedule on the wall, class doesn't end until five! It's barely past noon! He supposes he could call the guys at the station to come help out but they've got to be there if a real emergency arises.

Guess he'll just have to figure it out...

Standing up from the chair behind the desk, Johnny scrubs a nervous hand through his hair and opens the door. The kids whip around to stare at him and he freezes in place.

"Are our parents coming to get us?" Marcy asks, gripping the picture book to her chest like a lifeline.

"Uh, no, not yet." Johnny tells them. "I could only get ahold of Tommy's mother but I'm not sure if she's coming yet..." Gage's stomach twists in a knot at the sight of fresh tears and glum, little faces. He's always known he isn't good with kids. This little escapade has just reaffirmed that knowledge. _Come on, what would Roy say?_ "But uhh...hey, no need to be so down...everyone's parents will be here to pick you up at the same time as every other day."

"Will you stay with us until they do?" Marcy asks timidly.

With a soft smile, Gage nods his head. "Of course I will." A tug on his pant leg suddenly draws his attention to another little girl probably four years old.

"Mister Fireman? I have to go potty."

Johnny pales visibly. _Damn you, Roy..._

* * *

"10-4, 36, transport as soon as possible." Before she even hangs up the biophone, Dixie hears the emergency line beeping. With a tired sigh, the nurse hangs up with squad 36 and picks up the red phone. "Rampart General, nurse McCall speaking."

 _"Dixie? Oh thank God it's you."_

"Johnny? Is that you?"

 _"Yeah, Dix, I've uh...I've got a bit of a situation here..."_

Startled by the uncharacteristic fear in the paramedic's voice, nurse McCall moves to the window with the phone in hand, waving for Dr. Brackett as he steps out of the staff lounge with a cup of coffee. "Just a second, Johnny, I've got Kel coming."

 _"Wha-no, no it's not that kind of emergency, Dix."_

Confused, Dixie flashes Kel a raised eyebrow as he enters the room. "Well if it doesn't require a doctor, then why are you calling the emergency line?"

"Who is it?" Brackett asks.

"It's Johnny Gage," she tells him.

 _"Well it is an emergency! Sort of..."_

"Sort of an emergency? Johnny, you know it's important for this line to be open at all times-"

 _"I-I know, I know, but I couldn't get ahold of Joanne or Captain Stanley so I figured...you know..."_

The fireman still sounds borderline frantic so Dixie gives up with a shake of her head. "Alright, what's the problem?"

There's a short pause in which McCall thinks she hears a little girl talking in the background. Johnny says something away from the phone that sounds like 'just a second' before a door closes and Johnny is talking in a low voice, like he doesn't want someone hearing him.

 _"Uhh, has Roy come in yet with that daycare teacher?"_

"No, not yet...they're due here any second though."

 _"Okay, well, he left me here with a whole classroom of little kids and, Dix, I got no idea how to take care of children! I don't know what he's tryin' to pull here but it isn't funny! Now, now look...there's this little girl and she has to go the bathroom and I guess she needs help or somethin' but...bu-Dix are you laughing at me?!"_

Between poorly concealed fits of laughter, Dixie shakes her head and quickly denies it. "No, no, I'm only coughing...please, go ahead Johnny..."

 _"Now look, Dix, this is serious!"_

"Oh-oh I can tell..." At the look on Kel's face, Dixie lowers the phone for a moment and quickly describes Johnny's "problem" to him. The doctor smirks and motions for Dixie to hand him the phone.

"Johnny? This is doctor Brackett."

 _"Dr. Brack-listen. I just need a little bit of advice here, put-put Dixie back on!"_

"Now just calm down, I think I've got the solution to your problem."

After a second of stunned silence, Johnny urges the doctor to tell him. And although the good doctor's voice is serious as can be, Kel's face betrays his amusement, much to Dixie's entertainment.

"You'll want to start an IV with ringers lactate and call for an ambulance-"

 _Click._

Brackett stares down at the phone for a moment before looking up at Dixie with a grin. "He hung up."

"That'll teach him to call the emergency line for nonsense," Dixie says, still laughing. With a chuckle from the doctor, Dixie returns to manning the nurse's station as Kel heads back to work.

* * *

As he slowly reawakens, Roy finds himself laying on his left shoulder, his body unceremoniously sprawled on the side of the ambulance, which now lays on the ground... Despite a thumping pain in his head and the sting of glass in his skin, Roy struggles to free his tangled legs from the gurney and push it upright once more.

Through the thin metal walls of the vehicle, he can hear a crowd of people murmuring with concern. As well as an oncoming paramedic squad.

Rubbing his head, Roy swiftly assesses himself for injuries and finds nothing too substantial, other than a few moderately deep lacerations in his left arm and cheek, glass still under the skin, and a decent contusion on his forehead.

Crawling onto his knees, he checks the daycare teacher's pulse, counting out a steady rhythm, if not slightly elevated now. Her respirations are coming quicker as well. Unfortunately, in the mess in the back of the ambulance, he can't find his pressure cuff so there will be no BP for a while...

A moment later, the doors are pried open and a man dressed in a familiar uniform greets him with professional concern. Roy has never met this paramedic, so he must be new. But he handles himself well as he helps Roy wheel the patient onto the street and then checks on the driver and passenger, who likely took the brunt of the accident.

The man's partner takes the teacher's vitals and pops open a biophone, relaying the information to Rampart, while simultaneously suggesting that Roy sit down so he can take his vitals as well.

"Pulse is 98, respirations 19," Roy volunteers, earning a grateful smile from his colleague.

"Rampart, this is squad 22. How do you read?"

 _"Reading you loud and clear, 22."_ It's Dr. Early's voice on the phone.

"Rampart, I've got four patients here. Patient one is female, aged approximately 25 years old. Vitals are: respirations 25, pulse 110, BP 120/80. She is comatose with no visible injuries, and she was in the back of ambulance that was involved in an accident.

"Patient two is male, 30 years old. Pulse is 98, respirations 19, BP to follow. He is conscious and alert. He has several lacerations on the face and left arm and a contusion on his forehead. BP is 100/70." As the paramedic removes the pressure cuff from Roy's arm, his partner reappears with vitals and injuries of the driver and passenger, although Roy suddenly can't focus on what they're saying...

He scrambles over to the gurney, where his patient has suddenly stopped breathing...


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two**_

* * *

"Rampart, this is squad 51! Our comatose victim has suddenly stopped breathing. Vitals are: pulse 50, BP 80/40. Standby for EKG."

 _"Standing by, 51."_

Roy tries to retain his composure as he hurriedly searches the back of the flipped ambulance for the electrocardiograph machine while one of the other paramedics preforms emergency CPR on the unconscious woman.

He's just about to call for help from the other EMT's partner when said man jogs over from squad 22, a familiar case in hand. "I'll do it," he volunteers. "You should sit down, let us handle it."

For a second, Roy is struck with confusion. Why would he sit down?! His patient could enter full arrest at any second! But, almost as an answer to his question, his head suddenly gives a painful thump, leaving him light headed. Right...his head injury...can't be treating a patient if he might keel over at any second, himself.

Not that he feels bad enough for that.

But Roy knows protocol and he would suggest the same thing if he was in that paramedic's position. So, albeit a bit frustrated, he nods his head and sits back, watching with increasing tension as the EKG is hooked up to the patient and begins transmitting.

"Rampart, this is squad 22 assisting 51, sending you a strip now..."

 _"22, the victim is in sinus rhythm, continue CPR and monitor. Transport as soon as spontaneous respirations continues."_

"10-4, Rampart. We'll keep you posted."

* * *

"So the man gave him the bricks, and he built his house with them. So the wolf came, as he did to the other little pigs, and said:

'Little pig, little pig, let me come in.'

'No, not, by the hair of my chiny chin chin.'

'Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in!" Johnny's "masterful" rendition of The Three Little Pigs is cut short halfway through by a raised hand from his audience. Straightening from his hunched, Big Bad Wolf pose, Johnny says, "Yeah, Marcy?"

"Mr. Fireman, it's awfully cold in here. Can you turn the heat up just a little?"

"Sure thing, kiddo...uh, does anyone know where the thermostat is?"

Four little hands point him to the back of the classroom and he spots the wall mounted dial beside a potted plant. Honestly, he's a little glad for a break. Must be the weather but his head has been aching for an hour now. Johnny lifts the plastic cover and turns the knob a few notches, just to get the chill out of the air. Turning back to the class, he frowns slightly.

"Aw, come on, guys, I know I'm not the best actor ever but do you have to fall asleep on me?" He's joking of course but suddenly the light expression on his face darkens when the handful of napping children don't stir, even when their classmates shake them.

His paramedic instincts kicking in, he ushers the rest of the kids away and kneels beside the sleepers. He gives them each a shake on the shoulder, and when they don't respond, he checks their vitals.

All normal, all non-responsive.

Just like the teacher.

Turning to face the rest of the kids, Johnny asks them how they feel. And his stomach does a flip when each of them admit to headaches, nausea, and dizziness. A few are sleepy and appear to be having trouble keeping their eyes open.

 _Some adult supervision I am..._

"Alright, everyone grab your coats, we're gonna go wait outside for a while, okay? I'm gonna call my buddies at the fire station to come make sure your classroom isn't making you sick."

While the children hurriedly grab their jackets and scarves, Johnny takes each of the sleeping children out and lays them on the sidewalk, asking Marcy to wrap them in the spare blankets he gets from the closet.

As soon as everyone is accounted for, he tells them to stay put and runs back in to call the station. He's just dialing the number when he starts to smell smoke...and the voice of Captain Stanley answering the phone is the last thing he hears before a flash of light and heat blasts him against the wall and everything goes dark.

* * *

"Well, Roy, seems like you're gonna have a sore noggin for a while but you'll be just fine." Doctor Brackett says as he presses the edges of the gauze securely to Roy's forehead. "Thankfully, you've only got a minor concussion. With Captain Stanley's permission, you should be able to return to work for your next shift."

"Thanks, Doc." As Roy stands up from the examination table, he's relieved that no dizziness accompanies the movement. "How's the woman we brought in? You know what's wrong with her yet?"

Brackett nods, much to Roy's surprise. "Severe carbon monoxide poisoning. I just called the fire department to have them go investigate."

"Carbon monoxide? Are you sure?"

"Yes, her blood tests all came back positive for it. Now it's just a matter of stabilizing her and, if all goes well, getting her back on her feet. Although I would like those children from the daycare to come get checked out as well, assuming that's where the CO was coming from..."

"I'll call Johnny and tell him to get everyone out." Roy takes the handi-talkie strapped to his belt and holds down the button. "Johnny, you there?" After a few seconds on silence, Roy sighs. "Johnny, this is Roy, pick up." Nothing but silence. "Johnny?"

Brackett and Roy exchange a look and the paramedic nods.

"I'm gonna head over there and see what's going on..."

"Just don't do anything to make that concussion worse. You should be alright to drive but don't push it!"

"Got it..." Roy strides out the door of the examination room, breezing right past Dixie, who turns and stares long after he's out the front door.

"What's gotten into him?" The nurse asks Brackett as he comes up beside her. But instead of an explanation, the doctor tells her to keep a few rooms clear. That there's been a carbon monoxide poisoning with possible other victims coming in. And one of them could be Johnny Gage.

* * *

Roy is the first to arrive at the daycare-having borrowed a spare squad from the hospital-although the engine can't be far behind him. Hopping out of the driver's seat, his stomach lurches at the sight of smoke billowing out of the windows and front door, fourteen young children shivering on the sidewalk. But no Johnny.

Seeing him coming, the children seem to breathe a collective sigh of relief. "What happened?" he asks them.

"W-we don't know! We weren't feeling so good so the fireman had us come out here and said he was gonna call the fire station but then there was a bang and all this smoke started to come out and...and Marcy thought he might be hurt so she ran in to find him..."

"Yeah, and neither of them came out..."

"It sounded like something blew up!"

Roy's head is reeling by the time the children finish explaining and he's distantly grateful that he can now hear the a fire engine's sirens in the distance. It takes a lot not to give into his mind telling him to run in and look for Johnny immediately. As much as he might want to, he knows these kids have to come first.

"Well how are you all feeling now?" he asks. The general consensus is that they're beginning to feel better now, but there are a few kids still unconscious so he kneels beside them and takes careful vitals, turning away only briefly when the engine pulls up. Engine 51.

"I want two inch and a halfs in from the front door. Stoker, Lopez, go on ahead. Kelly, you'll be with me." After divvying up the orders, Captain Stanley jogs over to Roy. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," DeSoto says, scribbling down the children's vitals on his notepad. "I just got here a few seconds before you. Had to accompany a carbon monoxide victim to Rampart."

"Where's Gage?"

Roy shakes his head and snaps open the biophone. "I don't know, Cap. Kids say he's still inside with another victim..."

"Possible they could be hurt...alright. We'll get 'em out. Chet, let's go!"

"Rampart, this is squad 51..."

* * *

Flames are pouring from a blackened hole in the wall of the classroom where a heater used to be. Soot and smoke thickening the air to a black haze that sticks to the firemen's masks and turnouts like glue. With two hoses constantly on the fire, Captain Stanley leaves his with Chet to start looking for his missing man and the victim he's supposed to be wish.

The daycare isn't large but with the haze, it's almost impossible to see anything. Hank picks along the walls, wiping off his mask every few seconds and probing with the toe of his boot and his hands. Eventually, he finds an open office door and peeks his head inside.

The floor is littered with shattered glass from a busted window but there, right in the center of it, is Gage and a little girl. Both covered in a layer of black gunk, the latter laying perfectly still as the fireman tries in vain to keep air going into her lungs.

As for Gage, it's difficult to tell what kind of shape he's in through the smoke, but if he were healthy, he would have already carried her out...

"Johnny?" Hank calls out over the roar of the flames.

The paramedic momentarily halts his CPR at the sound of the voice and looks up, squinting through the smothering cloud and giving a heavy cough. "Take her first, she's worse off than I am!"

Captain Stanley nods and scoops the unconscious girl into his arms. "I'll send Roy in for you!"

Johnny shakes his head in understanding and covers his mouth and nose through another fit of wracking coughs as Stanley sprints out into the open air with the little girl in his arms.

Roy has just gotten off the phone with Rampart when he lays her down. Her skin is black with smoke and she isn't breathing. By the amount of soot in her nose and mouth, Stanley would say she'd eaten a good deal of the stuff.

"I'll start CPR," Hank offers. "Johnny's still inside and I think he's hurt."

"How bad?" Roy asks, reaching for the trauma box.

"I'm not sure. He's conscious but he wasn't moving too much." Between breaths and thrusting the child's chest, Stanley yells out to the sprinting paramedic that his partner is in the office, near the back.

* * *

Roy enters the building with his back bent as low to the ground as he can. To his left, Chet, Marco, and Stoker and battling the flames. The fire is still high but they're fighting a winning battle. To his right, the broad windows are spiderwebbing with hairline cracks. If they had shattered, the whole place would have flashed over... Still might.

With that inspiration to hurry, Roy finds the teacher's office by memory but through the haze and his watering, irritated eyes, can't make out the form of his partner. "Johnny?!" he calls out, hearing a few coughs in response.

"Over here...!"

Johnny is laying on his back in a nest of glass and singed carpet. Shallow lacerations decorate his arms and face, though it would appear his clothing protected him from the worst of the explosion. What's really got Roy concerned is the slow, shallow breaths he's taking...

"How do you feel?" Roy asks, turning Johnny's head from side to side, looking for injuries. Surely enough, there's a forming contusion behind his left ear.

"Uh, little dizzy. Not too bad though. My, uh, my back hurts a bit but I can move my extremities. Think I just got the wind knocked outta me."

"Think you can get up?"

"Yeah, yeah I think so..." Roy drapes Johnny's arm over his shoulder and together, they manage to get back to their feet. And a few seconds later, they're breathing fresh air again. "How's the girl?" Johnny asks as he lays down on the sidewalk, closing his eyes so the sky will stop spinning above him.

Roy doesn't answer though. He's taking Marcy's vitals. "She's breathing on her own again." he says, and Johnny sighs in relief, only to start a hacking cough. "Cap, grab the O2, would you?"

"Right."

"Rampart, this is squad 51."

 _"Go ahead, 51."_

"Rampart, I've got two more victims here. Victim one is female, age 9, unconscious, suffering from smoke inhalation and possible heat exhaustion. She's got some first degree burns on her arms and hands, covering about five percent of her body. Respirations had temporarily stopped but are now spontaneous. Vitals are: pulse 100, respirations 14, BP 100/80.

"Victim two is male, age 28, also suffering from smoke inhalation. He's got a contusion behind the left ear and complains of dizziness, back ache and shortness of breath. Vitals are: pulse 90, respirations 17, BP 120/90."

 _"51, on victim one, start IV normal saline, administer O_ _2_ _, and irrigate for burns."_

"10-4, Rampart. IV normal saline, O2, and irrigate."

"I'll hold the drip," Johnny says, taking the IV bag from Roy's already full hands. "Drug box is still in the squad."

"I grabbed a box from the one I brought from Rampart," Roy informs him distantly, focused entirely on the careful administration of the needle into the girl's arm. A few seconds later, he's got it set up, with a drip of saline attached and an O2 mask over her face. All that's left is irrigation and Captain Stanely takes over on that so Roy can move on to the other patient...

 _"51, on victim number two, start IV with ringers lactate, immobilize the neck, administer two liters oxygen, and transport."_

"10-4, Rampart." Setting down the biophone, Roy turns to Johnny with a rueful smirk. "You heard the man."

"Yeaaah, I heard him..." Johnny winces at the IV and grumbles a little at the neck brace being slipped over his head. And as usual, he only takes a few breaths of the oxygen before he's pulling the mask off to speak again. "How're the other kids?" he asks, trying to look over to where they're huddled against the winter chill.

"Doctor Brackett wants to see all of them at Rampart, just to be safe," Roy admits.

"But it's not just a precaution for all 'em..." Johnny mutters, trading Marcy's drip into his other hand.

"Now look, there's no way you coulda' known it was carbon monoxide, or that those kids were in any danger. I was there too, Johnny, and I didn't see it either."

"I know that. I just hope they're gonna be alright."

"Well, thanks to you, they've got a pretty good shot at it." Roy squeezes his partner's shoulder just as the ambulances are arriving. "You did good, partner."

* * *

The ride to Rampart takes only a few minutes, it's all the waiting around in reception that seems to take forever. Roy doesn't pace, that wouldn't be fair to all the other family members and friends that are waiting as well, but he can't help tapping his foot impatiently right up to the moment that Doctor Brackett emerges from room 4.

The doctor motions for Roy to come over and the paramedic does so without hesitation. "Johnny's gonna be just fine. Probably a little sore for a while and he'll have a bit of a cough for the next few days... _and_ he'll have to miss a few shifts because of that concussion, but he'll be back in your hair within the month."

Roy smiles in relief. He hadn't been too worried, Johnny's injuries hadn't been too severe, but it's always nice to hear it from the doctor's mouth. "How about the kids? And their teacher."

This time, Brackett sighs and folds his arms. "That's a little more complicated. Some of those kids took in a lot of poison. They're fortunate Johnny knew what to look for. If he hadn't gotten them out when he did, they might not be alive right now..."

Roy sighs deeply and buries his hands in his pockets. "You think they'll all make it?"

"They're being monitored closely and, for now, I'm feeling optimistic."

"Yeah...did the parents get here yet?"

"The last ones just arrived, I think." Brackett says, nodding to the front door where a woman and a man have just entered looking frantic. "I better go talk to them."

"Alright." But before the doctor gets too far, he turns back for a second.

"Ah, Johnny's in four if you want to visit."

"Thanks, doc."

* * *

Johnny looks to be half asleep when Roy quietly enters the room, but upon seeing his partner, he perks up immediately. "How're the kids?" he asks instantly. His voice is gravelly from coughing and there's still an oxygen mask over his face, but of course, he slides it away.

Roy frowns and puts it back. "Brackett says they're still doing tests. But he thinks they'll be okay."

Gage nods and seems to relax into the pillow under his neck.

Roy takes a seat on the stool beside the bed. "And how about you? How're you feeling?"

Johnny shrugs. "I'm alright. Don't think I'm bad enough to miss work, that's for sure."

"Well, the doc knows best."

"Yeah, I guess..."

That's when the door opens again, and Captain Stanely, Mike, Marco, and Chet come in, still wearing their station uniforms with soot adorning their cheeks. They must be fresh off the fire.

"Heyy, Johnny," Chet greets. "Dixie says you'll outta commission for a bit, huh? Too bad, pally."

"That didn't sound too genuine," Roy comments with a smirk, chuckling as Johnny rolls his eyes.

"No, I'm serious. I don't know what we're gonna do with all that peace and quiet. It's going to be strange not to have a constant buzzing in my ear, ya know?"

"Oh I wouldn't worry about that too much, Chet. I mean, if you get lonely, you could always-"

 _Doooo-doo-beep!_

 _"Engine 51, brushfire, 4723 North Avenue Goose Creek, timeout 1730."_

The firemen smirk apologetically and mutter their goodbyes as they hurry out the door, Captain Stanley giving the affirmative over his handi-talkie.

"Engine 51, KMG-365."

The door closes heavily and Roy shakes his head. "It's gonna be a long day for them," he remarks. Johnny nods and lays back on his pillow. He looks drowsy. "Gonna be a long day for us too, partner," Roy continues with a grin.

His eyes popping open again, Johnny flashes him a confused look. "What do you-"

From his back pocket, Roy holds up a thick stack of painfully familiar papers. "Let's see...there was the teacher, plus fifteen kids...you...Mike-"

"Mike?"

"He burned his forearm in the fire."

"Ahh..."

"So that's...seventeen forms that need filling out."

Johnny groans but takes the pencil Roy places in his hand. "This is gonna take us all night..."

"Sorta missing that quiet morning we had, huh, Junior?"

"You bet."


End file.
